The Boy from a Junkyard
by LightningScorpion
Summary: Jay's life right before he became a ninja. His time in high school and his life with his parents. It is a headcanon for why Jay is the way he is, and how certain things about him transpired. Also depicts the events that led up to Jay meeting Sensei Wu on top of that building on that fateful day, and why he became a ninja. Focuses on Jay and his parents.
1. Prologue

**[Jay has always been my favorite ninja, and I've always loved his personality. I've also wanted to know more about his backstory for a long time. Season 6 did shed a little bit of light on this but it was only a little bit. Jay's flashback in Season 9 also showed what Wu said to him when they first met, but I was always interested in seeing Jay's life before he was a ninja. Also, I feel like most of Jay's development stems from his relationship with Nya, and I love Jaya, but I feel like that's the only source of development for Jay. I would like to see Jay's character get more development without Nya, and that's why I've made this story. It's about Jay's life right before he became a ninja.]**

* * *

It was a cold and stormy night that fell upon the "Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk" junkyard. The clouds that closed in covered what would otherwise be a starry, dark blue night sky. Lightning crashed and thunder boomed inside the clouds, there was certainly a thunderstorm brewing. However, this thunderstorm was unique. Though it was fraught with thunder and lightning, not a single drop of rain fell from the sky. Some might even call it a "dry thunderstorm". Then, as if coming from the dry thunderstorm itself, a loud electric shock surged from inside the trailer in the junkyard.

"Don't hurt yourself Ed!" Edna yelled lovingly.

"Oh I'm fine Edna, takes more than a little shock to break these bones." Ed remarked as he cranked his wrench.

"Once I finish this heater, it won't be freezing inside the trailer anymore."

"I can't wait", said Edna, "It'll be nice to not have to wear mittens every night!"

Suddenly, a swift knock fell upon the door.

"Who could that be?" Edna asked confusedly.

"Maybe a late night customer?" Ed responded.

Edna walked over to the door and opened it.

"Sorry, but we're closed now..." she stopped talking and looked around.

There was no one at the door. Edna looked down only to find a baby wrapped in a blue silk blanket, which had the symbol of a lightning bolt on the front. He also had a key that was tied to a ribbon, which was wrapped around him. Edna picked up the baby and gazed at his face. He wasn't crying, but smiling, and he even laughed.

"Ed! Come here!" yelled Edna.

Ed walked over to the door.

"Who's the customer Edn... Oh my golly goodness."

"Isn't he beautiful Ed?" Edna said softly.

"He sure is, but don't you think we should look for his parents?" Ed responded.

"His parents left him at our doorstep Ed, there must have been a reason for that, I don't think they're coming back." Edna remarked.

"Well that blanket of his is as blue as a blue jay!" Ed said while chuckling.

"Jay! That's the perfect name!" shouted Edna.

"Jay Walker, heh, I hope that's not what he becomes!" Ed laughingly joked.

The baby chuckled as well.

* * *

**[So that was the prologue. What did you think? Don't worry, I have many more chapters planned. Chapter 1 should be out in 1-2 weeks.]**


	2. Chapter I

**[There is a time-skip between this chapter and the prologue. Jay is now a teenager in high school, and this takes place slightly before the pilots.]**

* * *

"This controller's gonna be awesome when it's done!" Jay exclaimed to himself as he turned a screwdriver.

He was working on a project that he started earlier in the week, fixing his video game controller that broke during his last intense gaming session.

"Jay, it's time to eat breakfast! You don't want to be late for school!" His mother yelled from the kitchen.

"Ugh, school, I really don't want to see those jerkfaces again. Heheh, jerkfaces!" Jay laughed to himself.

He reluctantly walked into the kitchen to see his mother cooking.

"Hi sweetie, come eat your breakfast." His mother spoke in a soft voice, almost as if she were whispering.

Jay slowly ate his oatmeal.

"Ugh, oatmeal again." He groaned to himself as he watched the porridge drip from the spoon.

"Hey Mom, are you sure I'm not needed here today, maybe I could uhh, help you get some chores done!" Jay said excitedly.

"Jay, you're not trying to play hooky are you?" Edna asked.

"What? Of course not! I just want to help out my dear old mother!"

"Jay, you don't want to miss school, it's very important!" His mother exclaimed.

"Is it really? All they do is teach you meaningless stuff that you'll never use in real life." Jay explained.

Edna smiled.

"Jay, go get ready." She sighed.

Heeding his mother's wishes, Jay went back to his room to brush his teeth and get dressed. After finishing his morning routine, Jay went outside to find his father working on a motorbike with a blowtorch.

"Hey Dad!"

"Oh, morning son!" Ed yelled.

"Ooh, whatcha workin' on?" Jay asked curiously.

"Oh this is a little repair that I'm making, somebody brought this in yesterday." Ed explained.

"Wow, I can't believe how much you've spiffed it up, Dad, it looks amazing!" Jay exclaimed in awe.

While Jay stood there fondly admiring his father's work, Ed put his tools in a toolbox and grabbed his car keys.

"Are ya-ya ready?" He asked.

"Wait, we're still taking the jalopy?! Why don't we take this motorbike?!" Jay exclaimed.

"Jay, the motorbike isn't ours, it belongs to a customer, and what's wrong with the ol' jalopy? We drive her everywhere, and she always gets us to where we need to be." Ed remarked.

"Uhh, nothing." Jay sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Well c'mon!" Ed jovially responded.

* * *

As the car drove through the sand in the early desert morning, Jay stared at the red ground with a certain anxiety in his eyes.

"Beautiful morning isn't it dear?" Ed admiringly asked.

"Yes it is." Edna responded. "Don't forget honey, you have to see Dr. Burton today."

"Gee willikers, I better not have to put my arm in that squeezy machine!" Ed exclaimed. "Do ya know what I'm talking about son?"

"You mean the blood pressure screening machine, Dad?" Jay replied glumly, staring at the ground with his cheek resting on his hand.

"I've had enough of those dag-nabbed blood pressure screenings! How many of those can one guy get?!" Ed complained.

"You wouldn't have to keep getting them if your blood pressure wasn't so high, honey." Edna responded genuinely.

"My blood pressure is fine Edna! I'm tellin' ya, it's those diddly-darn machines, they ain't accurate!" Ed retorted.

"Yes they are Ed! Your diet is very high in sodium, you put a heap of salt on every single thing you eat!" Edna remarked.

"I can't help that I like salt! It makes things taste better!" Ed stated.

"You know, sometimes I think you use so much salt because you don't like my cooking." Edna sighed.

"C'mon darlin', ya know that's not true." Ed replied while putting his hand on his wife's shoulder, keeping the other one on the steering wheel.

Jay only marginally listened to his parents' bickering while he stared intently at the passing red sand, ruminating. His dad's blood pressure screening was not on his mind, something else was the cause of his uneasiness.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the entrance of Sea of Sand High School.

Jay reluctantly got out of the car and slowly shuffled his way to the door. Lots of other kids were on their way to the entrance as well.

"Have a great day son!" Ed shouted.

His mother yelled from the car as it drove off, "JAY, DON'T FORGET, AT NOON YOU HAVE TO PUT ECZEMA OINTMENT ON YOUR-"

"Yes mom! I won't forget!" Jay angrily groaned while wincing, interrupting his mother's words out of embarrassment.

He turned around, only to see that all eyes were on him, most kids were snickering as well.

"She was, gonna say, arm! Yeah! Arm! Heh heh heh, eczema on the arms, am I right?! Heh heh." Jay slowly laughed, with an awkward smile on his face.

He quickly stumbled up to the door with his hand on the back of his neck, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. He was still awkwardly smiling in a futile attempt to avoid attention.

"This is going to be a long day." He thought to himself.

* * *

**[Ok, the first actual chapter is done! I really enjoyed writing this, especially Ed and Edna's dialogue! (XD) Chapter 2 should be out next week. Tell me your thoughts!]**


	3. Chapter II

**[Ahhh, Chapter 2, Jay's day at school. This chapter introduces one of my OC's, Melbin. He isn't a character that I came up with before, I mainly created him for this story.]**

* * *

Jay moved quickly through the halls to avoid the incoming onslaught of embarrassment and gossip.

"It's okay Jay, they think that it's on the arms. Yeah, not the actual spot! Heh, arm eczema, that's not weird, that's normal, heh heh, it's totally normal!" He laughed, trying to calm himself down.

Beads of sweat started rolling down his face.

"Whoo, there were only, a few people who heard it, and at least Melbin wasn't there! Yeah! Heh heh, no Melbin!" He whispered to himself.

By the time he made it to his locker he was drenched in sweat, and was now trying to cover his face.

"Just think about something else Jay, something funny! Yeah! Like those 'diddly-darn blood pressure machines!' HA HA HA HA!" Jay cackled.

By the time he realized how loud he was laughing, it was too late, now all eyes were once again on him.

"Dang it! Now everyone is staring at me!" Jay thought to himself.

"What's so funny Junkyard Boy?!" A figure in the audience yelled as it came forward.

Jay knew all too well who that figure was. It was Melbin, the exact person he didn't want it to be.

"H-hey Melbin!" Jay greeted with an anxiously awkward toothy smile.

"Whatcha laughin about, junk?!" Melbin asked.

"What?! Pffft, no, I was, just, thinking about, something, funny, that my dad said." Jay answered hesitatingly.

"Well, I heard about somethin' funny that your mom said." Melbin replied.

"And, what was that?" Jay asked, trying to sound oblivious while maintaining his awkward grin, knowing all too well what Melbin was about to say.

"I heard that she said ya gotta put eczema ointment on your—"

"ARMS!" Jay interrupted. "I have to put it on my arms!"

"Hmm, sure. Well don't forget to put it on Junkyard Boy!" Melbin sarcastically remarked while shoving Jay into his locker with one arm before walking off.

"Yeah! Good one, Melbin! Ha ha ha!" Jay chuckled. His voice then shifted to a quieter tone. "Jerk." He whispered.

"What a weirdo." Melbin said to himself as he walked away.

* * *

The next few hours of Jay's day consisted of listening to lectures, going from class to class, taking tests, and doing work. In every class, he could hear people gossiping about him.

"Jay has this!" "Jay's mom said this!" "Jay has eczema on his-" He heard many different stories about where people thought it was, some had even guessed the correct area, much his chagrin. He also spent a lot of the day hiding his face, because the gossipers would occasionally glance at him.

Things only started to look up in his Engineering 101 class, because the students were working by themselves on their semester projects that day, so Jay finally got some much desired time to himself where he could relax, work on his project, and not hear anyone gossiping about him.

"Ahh, you're gonna be quite the beauty." Jay admired while working on the invention.

His teacher told the class that their project had to be something unique and innovative, and it would be graded based on creativity, presentation, and effectiveness.

Jay's project was an automatic cart-like machine that would carry students' books for them. Being a victim of heavy textbooks himself, Jay thought his peers would appreciate the invention.

* * *

After having a productive period in his Engineering class, Jay went off to Algebra II, his last period of the day. It was a test day in that class, and Jay finished his test quickly due to his expertise in the subject. Once he was done, he decided to spend the time writing more blueprints for different parts of his project.

Unfortunately, he had that class with Melbin, who happened to sit right behind him, and he noticed Jay writing.

"Whatcha workin' on, Junkyard Boy? Another failed invention?" Melbin questioned.

"Heh heh, you're too funny Melbin!" Jay retorted, somewhat sarcastically. "This invention won't be a failure, and I can't disclose the details at this time."

"It's totally gonna blow up in your face, and then you're gonna have to throw it in your junkyard, with all of your other junk." Melbin remarked.

"No it won't, and when this is successful and everyone loves it, you'll be looking stupid in the face." Jay murmured so Melbin wouldn't hear, not looking at him to hide his scowl.

* * *

After class was over, Jay headed to his locker to get his things.

"Finally, it's all over!" Jay cried out to himself. "I've got the rest of the day to myself, at home, away from the gossip, the lectures, and Melbi-"

Jay suddenly realized something.

His parents were waiting for him at the front entrance, and there would be plenty of other students there, waiting to get picked up.

"Oh no, there are gonna be TONS of other kids out there, and when they see me, all I'm gonna hear is laughing and 'Jay this' and 'Jay that'! I'm a total LAUGHING STOCK!" He panicked.

"Ohhhh, this is just PERFECT!" He anxiously and sarcastically exclaimed. "Maybe I can hide myself with, uhhh, something?"

All that Jay could do was put his hood on and pull his hoodie strings so tightly that they covered his face, while also making it difficult for him to breathe.

He quickly walked out the door and toward the jalopy, where his parents were waiting. He was breathing heavily due to the air blockage caused by his tight hood.

He kept his head down in the hopes that no one would notice him.

Unfortunately, it only somewhat worked, as some people were completely oblivious to him, while others were staring right at him.

"There goes Jay, he's the guy I was telling you about, you know, the one that lives in a junkyard. He also has eczema on his-" Was all Jay heard as he walked past the other students, and that person had guessed the correct area as well.

When he finally neared the car he quickly hopped in and closed the door.

"Jay, is everything ok?" His mother asked.

He pulled the hood off of his face to reveal an obviously fake smile.

"Yup, I'm great!" He replied.

"Are ya-ya sure son?" His father questioned.

"Of course Dad, how was the visit to Dr. Burton's office?" Jay responded, changing the subject.

"Well I had to get another golly-gosh darn blood pressure squeezing, and Dr. Burton said my blood pressure's even higher than before! So now I have to eat a special 'low sodium' diet, and no more salt! It's bonkers!"

As his father told him about the visit, Jay could only think about all of the gossip that he was the subject of, and how much he was dreading coming back tomorrow.

**[Another chapter down! I really felt for Jay while writing this chapter, and I wanted to incorporate how I felt sometimes when I was embarrassed in school. Lemme know your thoughts and see you guys next week!]**


	4. Chapter III

It was dinner time at the junkyard, and the Walkers were eating potato and squash succotash with bread on the side, staying within Ed's dietary restrictions.

All three of them were sitting at the dinner table.

"Psst, Son, can you pass the salt?" Ed whispered to Jay.

"No! Jay, don't give him any salt, sweetie!" Edna commanded.

"C'mon darlin', can't I have just a smidge?"

"No salt, Ed! Dr. Burton's orders!" Edna remarked.

The small television was turned to the news channel. There was currently a broadcast about the new "Fritz Donnegan" movie that was coming out.

"What's the name of that actor, dear?" Ed inquired.

"I know his name is Cliff something, I wanna say it's, Cliff Jordan?" Edna responded.

"Well, whatever his name is, he looks very familiar." Ed declared.

"Maybe he looks like a customer that we had recently?" Edna suggested.

"Maybe."

Jay was oblivious to his parents' conversation, he wasn't consuming his succotash either. He was just staring at it while moving the potato pieces back and forth with his spoon.

His parents noticed his lamenting.

"What's wrong, Son?" Ed questioned.

"If you don't like the food, sweetie, I can make you something else. Only your father has to eat this." Edna offered.

"No, the food is fine, it's just..." Jay hesitated, then sighed. "Mom, Dad, have you guys ever considered, maybe, moving out of the junkyard?" Jay asked.

Ed and Edna glanced at each other in subtle shock, trying to think of what to say.

"Well, Son, we can't really afford to move out of the junkyard." Ed stated.

"So, we're just, stuck here?" Jay responded.

"I mean, it's nothing to be ashamed of Son, look at what we've done! We've made a business and a living outta this junkyard! We're not just rolling around in trash, are we?!" Ed jovially remarked.

"I guess that's true." Jay snickered, forming a slight grin on his face.

"And Son, I don't care where we are, I'll always be happy because I have a beautiful wife and a great son!" Ed declared.

Jay's grin turned into a smile of gratitude, but there was still a reluctance in his eyebrows.

"Jay, did something happen at school?" Edna inquired.

"No, it's just that, I don't think anyone likes me" Jay revealed.

"Well, have you tried to make any friends?" His mother asked.

"I guess not, but I think people don't like me because I'm from a junkyard." Jay suggested.

"That's ridiculous! Can you believe that Ed?! They don't want to be friends with our boy just because he lives in a junkyard!" Edna then calmed herself down. "Jay, I'm sure that not everyone is that petty, and if they are, then they aren't worth your time!" She proclaimed.

"You're right, honey, and ya know, that actually reminds me of when I was Jay's age!" Ed responded.

"Oh, is this about Scott Wittleby?" Edna proposed.

"Who's Scott Wittleby?" Jay questioned his father.

"Scottie was my old friend from high school." Ed started telling the story. "He had this hip condition that caused him to waddle whenever he walked, people made fun of him and called him "Duckboy", and "Scott Waddleby" beacuse of it. I was a bit of an outcast myself, and I felt bad for Ol' Scottie, so one day, I went to talk to him, and we became the darnest of pals. He was even the best man at me and your mother's wedding!" Ed recounted.

"Oh, where's Scott now?" Jay asked.

"He moved to Ninjago City, he's an electrician." Ed replied.

"Ok, but how does that remind you of me, Dad?' Jay inquired.

"Just like your mother said, you've gotta put yourself out there, son!" Ed encouraged.

"Introduce yourself to some new people tomorrow, you're a fine young man, Jay, I know that there are people who would love to be friends with you. You just haven't found them yet." Edna reassured.

"Wow, thanks Mom and Dad!" Jay exclaimed, now encouraged by his parents' advice.

* * *

After dinner, Jay went to his room and scanned the environment. His eyes fell upon his unfinished controller, which he was making repairs to that morning.

"Oooh, I almost forgot about you! Let's hurry and finish you up!" He excitedly babbled.

Jay quickly got back to work on his controller. His persistence in the task was due to him not being able to play video games since it broke.

After about an hour of putting buttons back into place and screwing in screws, the controller was fully repaired. Now all that was left to do was to test it out.

Before plugging it in, Jay admired his work. The controller looked almost as good as new.

"Alright buddy, don't let me down!" Jay exclaimed to the controller as he plugged it in and turned the console on.

As Jay pressed the buttons, nothing on the screen was being affected.

"C'mon buddy, work!" Jay cried out.

He turned the console off and back on again, but all to no avail.

"Why won't this thing WORK?!" He groaned while mashing the buttons.

The buttons still weren't affecting anything on the TV screen, much to Jay's frustration.

"Hrnggggh, you STUPID PIECE OF JUNK!" Jay yelled, slamming the controller on the table.

After hearing the sound he had just made, Jay tried to console himself.

"Calm down Jay, this thing will work, you just have to make a few tweaks." He reassured himself.

"Maybe I just need a fresh mind, yeah! That's it! I just need a good night's rest!"

He decided to go to bed and continue his work tomorrow.

"This will work, it won't be a failure, it won't be a failure."

Jay repeated these words to himself as he went to sleep.

* * *

**[Another chapter down, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! See you next week!]**


	5. Chapter IV

_"And the 1st Place Award for the Engineering Fair goes to..._

_JAY WALKER! For his incredible automated supply-carrying cart robot!"_

_Jay got out of his seat and rushed up to the stage to grab his trophy. The audience roared as they cheerfully applauded. He received his trophy and grabbed the microphone._

_"Thank you! Thank you everyone! I couldn't have done it without you! Oh who am I kidding, I did this all on my own! HA HA! none of you helped me, you all just made fun of me! YOU GUYS SUCK! I'M AWESOME! HAHAHAHA!" Jay gloated into the microphone._

_Despite his comments, everyone still cheered for him, and his most vocal supporter was none other than Melbin._

_"YOU'RE RIGHT JAY! YOU'RE AWESOME! I SUCK! I WISH I COULD BE JUST LIKE YOU, BUT I'LL NEVER MEASURE UP!" Melbin yelled from the crowd._

_"Yes! You're right Melbin! You're the WORST OF THEM ALL!" Jay insulted._

_"THAT'S SO TRUE!" Melbin replied._

_Suddenly, music started playing from the auditorium speakers, and it was an all too familiar tune to Jay. The melody consisted of very repetitive beeps and boops._

* * *

Jay awoke to find himself in his bed, with his alarm clock ringing loudly.

"Aww man, that was a DREAM?! But it was so cool!" Jay complained.

"Uhh, the Engineering Fair, THE ENGINEERING FAIR! I have to sign up!" He gasped.

He then looked over at his controller, and his face turned into a frown.

"Hooo, don't worry Jay, you'll fix it today and everything will be fine." He reassured while taking deep breaths.

He decided to take the controller to school so he could work on it during his free time.

In his habitual fashion, Jay ate breakfast, brushed his teeth, changed out of his pajamas, and got his school supplies together.

After he finished his morning routine, he met his parents outside, got in the jalopy, and they drove off.

* * *

Just like the day before, Jay was uneasy during the car ride, he was once again dreading going to school.

"Ugh man, what if everyone's still talking about the eczema thing?" Jay thought in his head.

As the jalopy pulled up to the high school, Ed and Edna turned around to wish Jay a good day.

"Have a gr-" "Mom. Dad." Jay interrupted his father.

"Is there anything you need to tell me before I go in there? If so, please tell me now, you know, so we don't have a repeat of yesterday? Heheh?" Jay suggested while smiling his signature awkward, toothy grin.

"Don't forget to put on your eczema ointment, sweetie." Edna declared.

"Trust me, mom, there's no way I'm forgetting to put that on." Jay remarked.

"Oh, and remember to put yourself out there, son! Go meet some new people!" Ed declared.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Jay said while looking down with an uncertainty in his eyes. "I will!" He stated as his head popped back up.

"Have a great day son!" His parents yelled simultaneously after he got out of the car.

"Thanks guys!" Jay yelled back while waving.

"Isn't that the foot eczema kid?" Jay heard a kid whisper to her friend, much to his annoyance.

Fortunately for Jay, they had guessed the wrong area.

* * *

Jay shuffled through the halls to get to his locker. Once he arrived, he took all of his books and belongings out of his backpack and stuffed them into his cluttered locker. The last thing he took out was his controller.

"Ooh, whatcha got there, Count Junkula?!" Melbin sneered as he snatched the controller out of Jay's hands.

"No! Melbin! Gimme that back!" Jay yelled while frantically trying to get the controller back.

Melbin used his hand to keep Jay back.

"What's this week's piece of junk? A controller? Let me do you a favor and get rid of it for ya!" Melbin suggested before running into the bathroom.

"Wait! No! It's not junk!" Jay exclaimed while chasing after him.

Fortunately, Jay was a fast runner, and caught up to Melbin in the bathroom with ease.

"What do ya think the proper disposal method is, aye Junky?" Melbin facetiously asked.

"I say that you need to PROPERLY give it to me!" Jay responded as he grabbed part of the controller and pulled.

"Flushing it is!" Melbin teased.

"NO! Don't do that!"

Suddenly, the back of the controller came off, exposing its circuits.

"No need to break it buddy, I'll do that for you!" Melbin mocked.

As a tug of war over the controller ensued, Melbin suddenly received an electric shock that was enough to knock him unconscious.

He fell to ground, with the controller landing next to him.

"OH NO! Did I really just do that?!" Jay stammered.

"Oh man, when he wakes up, he's gonna pound my face in!"

Fortunately, there was no one else in the bathroom, so Jay decided to drag Melbin into one of the stalls and prop him up on the toilet in the hopes that when he woke up, he wouldn't remember what happened.

It wasn't easy, as Melbin was extremely heavy.

"Geesh, what have you been eating, Melbin?! Rocks?!" Jay expressed.

The thought of that made him chuckle.

After putting Melbin on the toilet, Jay had to lock the stall door from the inside and then crawl underneath to get out.

"Boy I hope he doesn't remember anything, but to be fair, it does serve him right!" Jay pondered to himself while snickering.

* * *

When he returned to the hallway, he noticed how empty it was.

"Daah! I'm late for class!" Jay stuttered as he ran to his locker.

He frantically gathered his books and supplies together and ran to his 1st hour class.

On the way there, a certain poster caught his eye.

"_JOIN THE INVENTOR'S CLUB!" _Those were the big bold words at the top.

"_We are looking for creative students with a passion for inventing! We are recruiting today after school in the library! Come show up if you're interested! Led by Ganku Shokerson!" _The poster read.

"Ganku? Oh, Ganku! He's in engineering class!" Jay exclaimed to himself.

"This is perfect, and I'll be able to meet new people, just like what Mom and Dad said!"

"Welp, I know where I'm going after school."

Jay looked over the poster one more time before stumbling to class.

* * *

**[Sorry for the long break between chapters, I had a lot of stuff going on this month, but now I should be able to get back to my normal weekly schedule. Please leave a comment to let me know what you thought, and have a great week!]**


	6. Chapter V

**[This chapter introduces another one of my OCs, Ganku, let me know what you think of him!]**

* * *

Jay spent the entirety of his first few classes gazing at the clock, watching the hands tick and tock at the speed of molasses. To him, the day seemed to be moving in slow motion.

"Ugh, could this day go by any slower?!" He thought to himself while sitting in his English class.

"As you can see, these authors were the true pioneers of the Byronic protagonists, isn't that right, Jay?" Mrs. Macleod asked, noticing his daze.

"Huh?! Oh! Yeah! Of course! Definitely! Heh heh." Jay responded with his signature awkward, toothy grin.

"Can you tell us where the modern Byronic heroes come from?" She sternly questioned.

"Sure! They, uhh, were created by, the-uhh Byron guy! Heh, heh, hehhhh..." Jay answered, with his awkward laugh revealing his embarrassment.

"The Byron guy?" She inquired, with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, hmm, King Byron, right?!" Jay stated with reluctance.

"No, that is incorrect, Mr. Walker, maybe paying attention and not staring at the clock will help you learn the material!" Mrs. Macleod remarked, with a cynical grin on her face.

Jay looked down with a bashful frown while pulling out his notebook so he could take notes. Despite his chagrin, he was relieved because he remembered that Melbin was still in the bathroom and not in class ridiculing him.

"The end of the day can't come soon enough." Jay whispered to himself.

* * *

A few hours later, Jay was in his engineering class. As the end of the day drew nearer, he was getting more and more ecstatic. Due to his excitement, he could barely focus on building his project. As he frivolously tried to get some work done, he couldn't help but imagine how great the Inventors Club was going to be.

The teacher, Mr. Fralwurst, was walking around the classroom, monitoring everyone's progress.

"Does anyone need any extra washers?" Mr. Fralwurst announced to the class.

"PHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jay chortled.

He then looked around and saw confused and annoyed faces staring at him.

"Sorry, I'm just, excited." Jay explained to his classmates with his signature grin before quickly turning around.

"How was that even funny?!" An annoyed classmate asked.

Jay ignored the question and kept his head turned towards his project, away from everyone else's glares.

"Man I can't wait for the day to be over." He thought in his head.

* * *

At long last, the school day came to an end. Jay went to his locker to put his supplies away before heading to the library. On his way there, he walked past Melbin, who was talking to one of his classmates.

"Melbin, where were you all day?" The classmate asked.

"It was really weird, I woke up in one of the bathroom stalls, and when I came out, classes had already ended, and now my arms are really numb." He responded.

"Wow, that is weird." The classmate remarked.

"Yeah, and the weirdest part is, I don't remember squat about what happened before that." Melbin stated.

Jay overheard the conversation, and a look of anxiety appeared on his face. He quickly walked past so that Melbin wouldn't notice him.

* * *

Jay made his way to the library, and he was perplexed when he saw only five people in there.

"I really hope they don't mention the eczema thing." Jay said to himself while cringing.

The students were all sitting at the big table, with Ganku standing behind a podium.

"Hey guys, hey Ganku!" Jay greeted.

"Ugh, hello Jay." Ganku groaned while rolling his eyes.

"Is this the Inventors Club?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, it is, come take a seat." Ganku insisted. "By the way, what about washers is funny?" He inquired while mildly chuckling.

"Wait, that was YOU who asked that?!" Jay realized while selecting a chair.

"Yeah, I was just, genuinely confused." Ganku replied.

"Oh, I don't know, I guess, whenever I get excited, I'll laugh at anything, heh heh." Jay answered while chuckling.

"Hmph, well anyways, welcome to the Inventors Club everyone! Are you all excited?!" Ganku exclaimed.

Two students said "Yeah!", while the other two nodded their heads. Jay, however, shouted "HECK YEAH! I KNOW I AM!"

"Oooookay." Ganku stated while staring at Jay with one eyebrow raised. "Well, this is the first year of having this Inventors Club, of I which I will be the head of, and we will..."

What started off as Ganku describing some of the aspects of the club turned into him chuntering about his love of engineering and bragging about all of his achievements and accolades. Jay would occasionally make a remark or laugh out loud, much to Ganku's annoyance.

The rambling lasted two hours, the entire duration of the meeting. However, Ganku did not stop until Bree reminded him that it was time to leave.

"Alright everyone, see you on Thursday! Well, I'll also see you in class but, you know what I mean!" Ganku exclaimed.

"Ok guys! I can't wait for Thursday!" Jay excitedly shouted before walking out the door.

* * *

After everyone else had left, Larson went up to Ganku.

"Hey Ganku, did something happen between you and Jay, it seems like you really don't like him." He inquired.

"Well, you see Larson, the thing about Jay is, he's just so ANNOYING." Ganku emphasized. "He always talking to himself, and, laughing super obnoxiously at random times. He just doesn't know when to shut up! Ugh, I, I can't stand him."

"Geesh, ok then, sorry I asked." Larson stated.

"No, it's fine, just, don't tell him I told you that, ok." Ganku insisted.

"Ok, I won't, see ya tomorrow." Larson assured before leaving.

"Ugh, that Jay." Ganku groaned to himself.

* * *

**[Another chapter down! Once again, sorry for the hiatus guys, I've been having quite a hectic summer. Thanks for all the support and reviews, you guys really keep me motivated to keep this thing going! Let me know what you thought of Ganku and the chapter! Chapter 6 should be out in 1-2 weeks, have a great week guys!]**


	7. Chapter VI

Now that Jay was back at home, he was spending his entire evening trying to fix his broken controller.

"C'mon, little buddy, why won't you work?" Jay asked the controller, despite knowing that it wouldn't respond.

As he doggedly twisted the screwdriver, he started to ponder about what had happened that day.

"How exactly did you shock Melbin?" Jay wondered while focusing on the controller. "Did I accidentally turn you on during the fight?"

Jay's eyes suddenly widened as he realized what he was doing.

"Why am I talking to a controller?" Jay rhetorically asked while shaking his head, giving himself a soft face-palm as well.

"Jay, it's time for dinner." Ed announced as he walked into the room.

"OH! Uhh, Dad! Yeah! I'll, uhhh, I'll be out there in about fifteen minutes." Jay replied.

"No Son, you'll be out there now, that dag-darned gadget can wait!" Ed sternly declared.

Jay, somewhat shocked by his father's reaction, obeyed his orders, and followed him to the dinner table.

When they made it to the table, it was already set. The dish was vegetable casserole with rolls of bread on the side, once again keeping within Ed's dietary restrictions. However, the salt shaker was missing from the table, and its absence didn't go unnoticed by Ed.

"Edna, honey, what happened to the salt?!" Ed asked his wife.

"Forget about the salt Ed! You can't have any! Don't you remember what Dr. Burton said?!" Edna retorted.

"Aww come on darlin', just a little won't hurt. Can't I have a smidge?"

Edna sternly glared at Ed, and that look was enough to make him stop asking.

"So how was school, Jay?" Edna inquired as she sat down.

"Well, aside from a few, weird things, it was great!" Jay responded excitedly.

"Great! Meet anyone new?" Edna questioned.

"Uhh, kind of, I joined the Inventor's Club!" Jay announced.

"Gee golly, Son! Darn good! That sounds perfect for you!" Ed jovially beamed.

"Who's in the club, Son?" Edna asked.

"Including me, there are only six people, and Ganku's the leader." Jay answered.

"Who's this Ganku?" Ed queried.

"Uhh, he's in my Engineering class, and he's... I'm not really sure how to describe him. He really likes to talk about himself."

"Oh, does he now?" Edna stated while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, and, he always seems annoyed and angry, but, I don't know why." Jay added.

"Well gee willikers, this Ganku sounds like quite the unhappy fella." Ed thought aloud.

"You know son, the club should probably be led by a teacher, not a student." Edna said.

"Well, I think it'll be fun. I'm excited!" Jay exclaimed.

"That's great, I'm so happy for you Jay!" Edna cheered as she hugged Jay and squeezed his cheek.

"Mooooooooooooooom!" Jay groaned while rolling his eyes.

The Walkers finished their dinner, cleaned the table and each did separate things. Edna sat in her chair and started reading a book. Ed did the dishes, and then sneakily went to the cupboard to look for the salt. After completely searching it, he then inspected the fridge.

Edna then came into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and she noticed Ed's rummaging.

"What are you looking for, honey?" She asked.

"OH! Daahh, I'm just, lookin' for my wrench." He answered.

"In the fridge?" Edna responded.

"Gdaaahhh, this high blood pressure must be messin' with my noggin, I've been leaving tools in random places. Heh heh." Ed nervously explained.

"Ok." Edna replied, with one eyebrow raised out of suspicion.

She went back to her chair, and after that close call, Ed ceased his hunt for the salt.

Jay was back in his room tinkering with his controller.

"What exactly is wrong with you?!" He exclaimed, appearing noticeably more frustrated than before.

"Ugh, this should work, WHY WON'T THIS WORK?!" Jay yelled, catching the attention of Ed.

Ed walked in without Jay noticing, and he watched him struggle with the controller. An empathic look fell upon Ed's face.

"Hey Son, ya still workin' on that gadget?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh hey Dad. Yeah, but it just won't work." Jay responded. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Golly heck no, Son. Those games are a bit too complicated for an old-timer like myself." Ed explained.

"Ugh, this thing will never work again." Jay groaned in frustration and hopelessness.

"Can I show you something?" Ed offered.

"Uh, sure Dad." Jay responded.

Ed briefly left the room and then returned with a space heater.

"This was my first big invention, Son." Ed began.

"Really? A space heater?" Jay asked.

"Yep, and can you guess how many redesigns I had to do?" Ed questioned.

"I'm not sure, maybe five?" Jay answered.

"Nope, seventy four." Ed revealed.

"Really?! Seventy four?!" Jay exclaimed in shock.

"Yup, ya see son, you can't let a few obstacles get ya down. If I had given up while building this heater, we'd all be freezin' our toes off!" Ed explained.

"Yeah, I guess so." Jay chuckled.

"And ya know what I did every time the heater didn't work?" Ed quizzed.

'You found the problem and fixed it?" Jay responded.

"Yep, and when a solution didn't work, I looked at the problem from a new angle." Ed told Jay.

"Wow." Jay exclaimed due to learning so much.

"And ya know son, this is also my favorite invention." Ed stated.

"Why?" Jay asked.

"Because I finished it on the night that we found you." Ed revealed, with a smile on his face.

"Wow, wait, found me? What do you mean, 'found' me?" Jay inquired.

"Uhhh, I meant, found out that we were having you." Ed nervously corrected himself.

"Whoa, so this really is a special invention." Jay realized.

"Yeah, it really is." Ed responded.

"Wow, I never knew all of that, thanks Dad!" Jay said gratefully.

"Anytime Son." Ed replied.

"Also Dad, you probably shouldn't be so loud and obvious when you're looking for the salt." Jay recommended facetiously.

"Wait, do you know where it is?" Ed desperately asked.

"My mouth is shut." Jay stated.

"So you're gonna be like that, huh Son?" Ed snickered as he walked out.

Jay's newly found motivation from his father caused him to work extremely hard on his controller. Unfortunately, he worked on it all night, and only got two hours of sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a rough day because of it.

* * *

**[I'm very sorry that this chapter took so long to come out, I have been rather busy lately with school among other things, but hopefully I'll be able to get back to my normal schedule soon. Expect Chapter 7 in about 1.5-2 weeks, and once again thanks for all of the support guys, it really means a lot!]**


	8. Chapter VII

"Jay, sweetie, it's time to wake up. You're gonna be late for school!" Edna whispered while nudging her son.

There was no response, Jay lie on the floor next to his bed, cuddling his video game controller.

"Jay, Jay, JAY." Edna said, getting gradually louder with each "Jay." She started jostling Jay, trying increasingly harder to get her son to arise.

Finally, Jay's eyes slowly cracked open.

"Mom?" Jay asked drowsily.

"Jay, you have to get up! It's 8 o'clock, school starts in twenty minutes!" Edna hurriedly responded.

"Wha? How did I sleep in so late? Well, I mean, I know how, but HOW?" Jay rhetorically questioned while stretching.

"What?! Jay, what do you mean you know 'how'?" His mother interrogated, catching on to his statement.

"Whaat? Pfft, I don't know, that was just sleepy talk! Heheh!" Jay snickered, grinning awkwardly with one eye still squinted.

"Jaaaaay." Edna sternly stated her son's name while raising one eyebrow.

"I maybe, might've, stayed up all night fixing my controller." Jay confessed while wincing.

"JAY! You can't do that! How much sleep did you get?"

"About...two hours?" Jay estimated.

"TWO HOURS?! Jay, that's not healthy, you're a growing boy, and Dr. Burton says that you should be getting at least ten hours of sleep each night!" Edna scolded.

"Mom, no high schooler gets ten hours of sleep each night." He facetiously stated before yawning. "Don't worry, this won't happen again, and look! I fixed the controller!"

Jay enthusiastically held up his fixed controller and waved it in the air to show it to his mother, who wasn't as impressed as he expected.

"That's great son, but you need to get your sleep, and you have five minutes to get ready and be outside, we'll have the jalopy ready." Edna commanded before leaving the room.

"FIVE MINUTES?!" Jay jumped off of the floor and hastily changed out of his pajamas and tossed some clothes on. He then thrust out of his room and into the kitchen of the trailer and gulped down his oatmeal in two gigantic spoonfuls. After that, he rushed into the bathroom and scrubbed his teeth with his toothbrush. When he finished brushing his teeth, he ran outside where his parents were waiting for him in the jalopy.

Ed and Edna noticed that Jay looked extremely disheveled, but it was too late to do anything.

"What's goin' on, Son, ya look like ya got picked up by a tornado, and your eyes, they got enough bags to carry groceries!" Ed observed.

"He stayed up all night fixing his doohickey, honey." Edna explained while putting her forehead down into her hand, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Yeah, but I fixed it! It's as good as new now!" Jay excitedly stated while getting in the car.

"Gee willikers, Son! That's gosh darn great! You'll have to show me after school!" Ed exclaimed as he started driving.

* * *

By the time they reached the school, class had already started. Realizing that he was late, Jay quickly got out of the car, slammed the door, and ran into the school.

"Have a great day son, and what did I tell ya about slammin' that door?!" Ed yelled from the car.

"Jay! Don't forget to put on your...Oh! Right! You already know, I won't embarrass you!" Edna yelled.

"There's no point in worrying about that now, Mom, no one's out here." Jay muttered under his breath as he made it to the door.

Once he got inside, the halls were completely empty, confirming that he was indeed late for class.

He rushed to his first class, History, without even stopping at his locker. He was so tired that he almost entered the wrong classroom, but he realized that the door to his class was adjacent to the one he was at.

When Jay arrived at his History class, he had turned all of the heads towards him. Everyone saw his baggy eyes, wrinkled pants, and mismatched socks. His hair that would usually be brushed down in neat tufts was extremely frazzled, with strands standing up in every direction. Additionally, his shirt was inside out and backwards, and his backpack was unzipped, with its contents close to spilling all over the floor.

"Mr. Walker, you're late." Mr. Slizburg stated.

"Oh, yeah, well you know what they say, better late than never right?! Hehehehhhhh..." Jay yawned while joking.

"Why don't you take your seat?" Mr. Slizburg replied, unamused by Jay's attempt at humor. "I'm gonna have to mark you over twenty minutes tardy, which means that you have a detention for today." He dully added.

"Wha? Detention, but Mr. S, this is only gonna be a one-time thing!" Jay explained, surprised by his teacher's statement.

"Sorry Jay, but that's the rule." Mr. Slizburg stated as he walked towards his desk and opened his drawer. Many students let out a collective groan in anticipation of what he was going to pull out.

He held up his teacher handbook and opened it up.

"It says right here in Chapter 13: Section 26: Article 54 that 'any student that is more than twenty minutes late for any class and does not have a late pass signed by a teacher or administrator is to be sentenced to detention.'" He read.

Jay just sat there and let out a sigh of disappointment while Mr. Slizburg returned to teaching.

"So, as we learned last week, there were five Serpentine tribes, and the Anacondrai were the most powerful tribe of all..."

Mr. Slizburg's low-pitched, monotone voice always bored Jay and the other students out of their minds, and today, Jay was tired, so Mr. S's voice aided Jay in dozing off.

Before Jay was asleep, however, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to his right to see one of his least favorite people, Melbin, who was also in his History class and sat right next to him.

"Wow Junkster, that's a good look for you, I see what you're trying to do." Melbin mocked. "You're doing a great job of twinning with Mr. Sliz, those baggy eyes really sell the look!"

Jay was too lethargic to retaliate, so he just put his head down and went to sleep, absorbing all of Melbin's mockery.

* * *

Trying to stay awake in all of his classes was an uphill battle for Jay, so he came up with a strategy: he only stayed awake in the classes with very strict teachers, and it worked for the most part.

It was a work day in Engineering 101, and although Jay made an effort to get work done on his project, he fell asleep in the first ten minutes of class.

However, he was awoken by a familiar voice.

"Jay, Jay, Jaaaaaaaay."

Jay opened his eyes to see Ganku standing in front of him.

"Hey Jay, I need to talk to you."

"Sure Gank, what's up?!" Jay replied.

"First off, don't call me Gank," he demanded, "second, I heard you got detention today."

"Well yeah, but it was really stupid! It was just because I was late for class." Jay explained.

"It doesn't matter, Jay, you still got detention." Ganku affirmed.

"Ok, what's the big deal?" Jay asked.

"The big deal is that as a member of the Inventor's Club, you should be above such things. Part of being in the club is being an example of justice and valor for other students. Being a part of the club is a privilege, and you're abusing that privilege. I'm kind of offended and hurt, Jay." Ganku explained.

"Well, I'm, sorry, that you feel hurt, I didn't mean to offend you?" Jay apologized, somewhat bewildered by Ganku's statement.

"This better not happen again Jay, or I'm gonna rethink letting you be a member." Ganku asserted. "Also, administration talked to me about the club, and they think that the criteria for entry should be more strict."

"So, what's gonna happen?" Jay asked.

"Well, the new rule is that in order to stay in the Inventor's Club, each member must become a finalist at the Engineering Fair." Ganku revealed.

"WHAT?! An Engineering Fair Finalist, do you know how hard it is to become a finalist?!" Jay exclaimed.

"Hey, that was the Principal's rule, not mine, so yeah, just letting you know, so make sure your project is finalist-worthy." Ganku advised before leaving.

"Ohh man, I mean, my project had to be good, but now, it has to PERFECT!" Jay anxiously stuttered to himself while pulling his hair.

He then looked at the clock, and saw that class was almost over. He only had one more class before detention.

* * *

**[Welp, that's Chapter 7, I know that it's been a while since the last chapter, and you guys have been awesome, so I thought I'd reward you with a longer chapter. As always, thanks for all the support, and the next chapter should be out in 1-2 weeks.]**


	9. Chapter VIII

"Welcome to detention, students."

"I am required to read the rules to you, so *ahem* 'You may not leave the detention room for any reason unless it is to use the restroom. If you do use the restroom, you have fifteen minutes to return. If you are gone for more than fifteen minutes, a security guard will be sent after you. For the duration of detention, students are to work on class work or sit quietly in their desks, unless , *YAAAAWN*, unless their teacher has requested that they perform a specific task. If a student breaks any of these rules, they will be given two more detentions.'" Mr. Slizburg read with droopy eyes and an apathetic demeanor.

Jay sat in his desk, trying to remain still, but he was having quite some difficulty doing so. His mind was racing, moving through a million thoughts every minute. He anxiously tapped his foot against the floor in an attempt to calm himself down.

"What are mom and dad gonna do when they come to pick me up and realize I'm not there?! When they find out, they're gonna be so mad!" Jay squealed to himself.

"Hey Walker, do you always talk to yourself?!" An irritated voice coming from behind exclaimed.

Jay turned around to see Roman, a heavy-set troublemaker who was routinely in detention.

"H-hey Roman! I...*Pfft* I wasn't talking to myself, I was talking to, uhhhh, you! How's it goin?! Heh heh." Jay nervously corrected, lying out of embarrassment.

"What? You're a weird dude Walker." Roman stated while rolling his eyes, turning around in his desk and squeezing his donut-shaped hand strengthener.

Jay turned around and looked down in defeat, those words being all too familiar to him.

* * *

Ed and Edna pulled up to the school parking lot in the jalopy, but the lot was mostly full with no open parking spots in sight.

"Ed, when should we schedule your check-up with Dr. Burton?" Edna asked

"Keep yer eyes peeled darlin' we need to find a place to park." Ed suggested to his wife.

"I will honey, and stop avoiding the conversation, we need to schedule your check-up!" She demanded.

"Why do I need to get checked up on?! I may be an old geezer, but I'm a healthy old geezer! I don't need the doctor constantly hoverin' over my shoulder tellin' me how to live my life!" Ed complained.

"ED! It's just a routine check up! Why are you so resistant, is it because of the blood pressure screening?" Edna questioned.

"So what if it is?! I've been layin' off the salt, I know my blood pressure's fine!" Ed clamored

"But we don't honey, you need to get your checkup, so I'm gonna schedule it for next Tuesday." Edna decided.

"Aha! There's an open spot!" Ed proclaimed, ignoring his wife.

"Honey, that spot is pretty small, are you sure you're gonna be able to park there?" Edna asked.

The parking spot was between a curb with a light post and a very large truck that took up all of the space in its own spot and some of the space in the empty spot.

"Darlin', are you forgetting how crafty your husband is? I can pull the jalopy in there!" Ed remarked.

Ed drove the jalopy into the space, but he could not turn the car tightly enough to get it into the space, so the right front wheel drove up onto the curb.

"Ed, there's not enough space here! Let's look for another spot!" Edna recommended.

"Honey, I can straighten us out!" Ed put the jalopy in reverse, and slowly backed out of the spot to straighten the car out.

The jalopy scraped against the light post, and a loud screeching noise could be heard.

"ED! YOU'RE SCRATCHING THE CAR!" Edna yelled.

"Oh gee, oh gosh, oh golly, oh gosh!" Ed exclaimed.

Ed frantically switched between forward and reverse, trying to get the jalopy in the parking space. Eventually, he successfully parked the car in the space. Edna got out to look at the car.

"Honey, there's a pretty big scratch on this side!" She observed.

"Can ya add it to the list of things I need to fix this week?" Ed requested.

"Sure dear." Edna replied while writing it on her notepad.

"Where's Jay? He'd usually be here by now." Ed noted.

* * *

Jay kept his head down for the first few minutes of detention, hoping that he could sleep through it.

Unfortunately, he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the junkster. Who would've thought that we'd end up in the same daycare?" The voice sarcastically remarked as it walked up next to Jay.

It was Melbin, the last person Jay wanted to be in detention with.

An annoyed frown formed on Jay's face as he looked up to see Melbin, but then, his face lit up as an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

"MELBIN, BUDDY, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE OUT OF YOUR SEAT, REMEMBER?!" Jay exclaimed loudly in an attempt to get Mr. Slizburg's attention.

Unfortunately, it was in vain, as Mr. Slizburg was asleep at his desk, with drool running out of the corner of his mouth.

"You can't go to sleep Junky, that's against the rules." Melbin mocked as he forcefully tapped Jay's shoulder, forcing him to stay awake. "Did you remember to put your eczema ointment on?"

The entire room burst into laughter, much to Jay's chagrin.

"Oh yeah, well did you remember to drink your, uhh, jerk juice?! Heh heh, jerk juice!" Jay retorted, hoping for the same reaction that Melbin got to his joke.

However, the classroom was silent upon hearing Jay's reply.

"Uhh, heh." Jay awkwardly chuckled, then sighed while getting out of his seat and moving to the back of the room to put his head down at another desk in embarrassment.

"Awww, I think Junko misses his junkyard, let's make him feel more at home!" Melbin suggested to the other detention students.

* * *

"Ed, we've been waiting here for 30 minutes and Jay still hasn't come out yet!" Edna remarked.

"Yeah, this is weird, I think we should go in to see what's goin' on." Ed suggested.

So they got out of the jalopy and walked into the school. They made their way to the office, where they were greeted by the secretary, Mrs. Lurchberger.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Walker, how can I help you?"

"Hi Mrs. Lurchberger, we're wondering where Jay is, he hasn't come outside yet." Edna responded.

"Well, let's see where Jay is..." Mrs. Lurchberger said while typing on the computer. "Ah, Jay is currently in detention."

"DETENTION?!" Edna exclaimed.

"Yes, it says here that he arrived late to his first class." Mrs. Lurchberger responded. "Do you need to pick him up early?"

"Yes! He has a, uhh, dentist's appointment!" Ed responded.

"Very well then, I will call Mr. Slizburg."

* * *

Suddenly, Jay found himself being picked up by Melbin and the other students in detention.

"Whoa, hey! Guys, put me down!" Jay anxiously demanded.

"Guys, I think Junky's homesick, so let's make him feel more at home!" Melbin rallied.

The students took Jay and threw him head-first into the trash can.

"Guys! This isn't funny! Get me outta here!" Jay squirmed, his legs flailing in the air, frantically trying to get out of the trash can.

"Doesn't that feel better, Junkyard Boy?" Melbin teased.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and upon hearing that noise, all of the students rushed to their seats. Except for Jay, who was still stuck in the trash can.

Mr. Slizburg was abruptly awoken from his nap upon hearing the phone ring.

"Hello?...Jay?...Ok, I'll send him down." He said into the phone before hanging it up.

"Jay, your parents are here to pick you up, you have a dentist's appoi..." Mr. Slizburg stopped talking because he did not see Jay in his seat. "Jay, where'd you go?"

His eyes then darted to the trash can, which had a pair of flailing legs coming out of it.

"Jay? What are you doing in the trash can?" He asked.

"Oh! I was, I was, uhhh, looking for my pencil! Ah! There it is!" Jay stated while pulling himself out of the trash can with an object in his hand.

"Uhh, that's a marker." Mr. Slizburg remarked.

Melbin and the other students snickered in their seats.

"Oh, well how about that? Heh heh! Welp, I have a dentist's appointment to get to!" Jay awkwardly replied while running out of the classroom.

* * *

Once Jay made it to the office, he found his parents waiting for him.

"Hey Mom, Dad!" He greeted.

Edna did not respond, she just looked at him with disappointment and sorrow.

"C'mon son, let's go." Ed apathetically replied, with a look of subtle frustration on his face.

As they walked out of the school and toward the jalopy, Jay knew that this was going to be an awkward car ride.

* * *

**[Another chapter down! Sorry that you guys had to wait four months, but the life of a high school senior is quite the chaotic one. On the bright side, I have more time to work on the story now that we have this unexpected break, so there will probably be a slew of new chapters in the coming weeks. Make sure you all stay safe and healthy, and I hope that you can find many things to do. See you guys next week!]**


	10. Chapter IX

Jay's qualms about the car ride home were correct. His parents were silent the entire time, and an aura of awkwardness emanated throughout the Jalopy. He tried to console himself mentally.

"It's ok Jay! Sure, they haven't said a single word, but, at least they're not screaming their heads off!" He thought.

Try as he might to calm himself down, his parents' silence did concern him.

"Why aren't they saying anything?! They're usually chatterboxes!" He worried.

Ed drove the Jalopy with his eyes fixed on the road, his head never turning. His unchanging face had a combination frustration, apathy, and glumness.

Edna stared at the various passing objects in the desert from rocks to snakes to tumbleweeds. Her facial expression portrayed her disappointment and sorrow.

Jay sat in the back, gazing at his feet and fidgeting with his homemade fidget cube that he made himself using a broken television remote. His face was filled with melancholy and nervousness, worrying that he was going to receive a harsh lecture and punishment.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, the Jalopy finally pulled into the Junk N Stuff Junkyard.

After Ed turned the car off, he and Edna got out. They turned to face Jay, who was frozen in his seat, bracing himself for the onslaught of punishment that he anticipated.

However, Ed simply declared, "Son, dinner's in an hour." With an unreadable expression on his face.

Jay nodded, unable to speak out of anxiety.

Ed walked over to one of the numerous piles of scrap metal and mechanical parts to work on one of his projects, while Edna went into the trailer to finish making dinner.

Jay, unsure of what to do, just bumbled into the trailer, avoiding eye contact with his mom as he made his way to his room. Once he made it up there, he plopped down face-first onto his bed.

"Ughhh! Why did I have to get a detention?! Why did I have come to class late?! Why did I stay up all night working that controller?! NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE EVER HAPPENED IF I HADN'T STAYED UP WORKING ON THAT STUPID CONTROLLER!" Jay muttered into his pillow while repeatedly slamming his hands on his bed, his voice being slightly muffled by the pillow.

"Ugh, what is WRONG with me?!" Jay whined. "Now Mom and Dad think that I'm some troublemaker, and I can't show my face at school anymore because of buttface Melbin's little stunt today!" He continued to slam his hands against his bed, faster and faster, turning them into fists to release his frustrations and anxiety.

* * *

For the next hour, Jay lie there, reflecting on the events that led up to his current predicament. Then, he heard a yell from his mother.

"JAY. DINNER TIME." This yell was more apathetic than usual.

Jay tiptoed into the kitchen and sat at the table, his parents were already there.

As they started eating, Jay couldn't help but feel like this was the most awkward dinner he had experienced, and his parents felt the same. After about five minutes of eating, Edna broke the silence.

"Jay, we heard that you got detention today." She stated with a surprisingly serious look that conveyed both disappointment and understanding.

"Yeah, I...I did." Jay confessed with and awkward smile that turned into a cringing frown.

"Well, how Son? It's not like ya to end up in detention." Ed queried.

"Well, you see, I kinda, came to first hour twenty minutes late, which resulted in me getting the detention." Jay revealed, still wincing.

"And that's because you were up all night tryin' to fix your doohickey, honey." Edna declared in a stern but surprisingly calming voice.

"Well, uhm, yeahhhhhh?" Jay reluctantly agreed while continuing to wince.

"That's it?! You were just a tad late?! Well, that's no big deal Son!" Ed exclaimed in relief.

"Ed! This is a big deal! Our son got detention because he stayed up all night working on his gadget!" Edna replied.

"C'mon darlin', it was just one detention because he was late." Ed consoled.

"No honey, he shouldn't be staying up that late. Jay, is this inventing becoming a distraction?" Edna asked with one raised eyebrow.

"Edna! The inventin' isn't a problem! Our son is a gifted inventor! He should be allowed to create whatever he wants!" Ed retaliated.

"Ed! I'm not saying he should give up the inventing, of course he shouldn't, it's just that I don't want it to interfere with school! So Jay, is the inventing gonna be a problem?" Edna questioned.

"No mom! Of course not! This was just one slip-up! I promise this won't happen again!" Jay assured his mother.

"Good, you're a great young man Jay, and a fine inventor, we just don't want your inventing to get in the way of school, and we don't want you getting detention, you're better than that." Edna reassured her son.

"Thanks Mom, and I won't let the inventing get in the way of school!" Jay responded.

"Oh, we know it won't Son! Keep inventin', I can't wait to see what your next gadget is!" Ed encouraged.

* * *

After dinner, Jay went back up to his room feeling slightly more relieved after the conversation with his parents.

"Wow, that went better than I expected!" He exclaimed while jumping onto his bed, this time back-first. "But what am I gonna do about tomorrow?! I'm already a laughing stock, and now everyone knows about the trash can thing!'

He slammed his pillow on his face. "Ughhh, I HATE MELBIN!" He groaned into his pillow.

After removing the pillow from his face and looking around his room, his eyes caught his fixed controller.

"Well, might as well enjoy the Jay-refurbished controller!" He exclaimed while smiling enthusiastically.

He played video games for an hour before deciding to go to bed early, ensuring that he wouldn't be late for school tomorrow.

**[Aaaaah, another chapter down, thank you guys so much for continuing to follow the story, you keep me motivated to keep it going! See you next week!]**


	11. Chapter X

"Okay everyone, so what is inventing all about?!" Ganku enthusiastically asked while standing at the podium. The other five members stood before Ganku while he spoke.

Today Jay had a meeting with the Inventors' Club, and he was pretty excited about it as well. It had been a few days since the last meeting, and that one was pretty much just Ganku patting himself on the back.

"Well, if we're talking about the fundamental basics, then I guess it's about, umm, building?" Bree answered.

"Hmm, you're only 20 percent right Bree, which means you're 80 percent wrong!" Ganku shot down her answer. "Does anyone know the real answer?"

"Well, is it about, coming up with ideas?" Wyatt reluctantly answered with a curious look on his face.

"AND THE AWARD FOR WORST ANSWER GOES TO WYATT!" Ganku facetiously announced.

"Gee, someone forgot to lay off the beef JERK-y." Jay whispered to Bree, which made her giggle.

"What was that Jay? You're not supposed to be talking while someone else is, especially me! That's extremely rude! So I assume you have an answer to the question?" Ganku inquired while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, uhh, I guess, uhh, well, I mean, inventing's very important to me, so-"

"But what is inventing about?! Stop avoiding the question Jay!" Ganku interrupted.

"Geesh! Ok! I guess it's about creativity, and expressing your creativity through inventions, as well as letting your emotions out through creating things. It also improves people's lives, not only because your inventions help people, but also because it gives people something to bond over. Me and my dad bond over inventing all the time." Jay answered genuinely, even surprising himself with what he said.

Everyone else was silent for a few seconds, then Larson, Bree, Wyatt, and Megan (everyone but Ganku) all clapped.

"Wow Jay, that was a great answer!" Larson exclaimed.

"Yeah, way to go Jay!" Bree encouraged.

"I never really thought about inventing like that, but that's so true!" Megan stated.

"G-good answer Jay!" Wyatt said.

"Wow, thanks guys!" Jay exclaimed, surprised but also flattered by everyone's responses.

Everyone then turned to Ganku to see what he had to say.

"Wow, Jay, I was actually somewhat impressed by that answer, especially coming from you!" Ganku stated.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Jay defensively asked.

"Unfortunately Jay, your answer is wrong." Ganku finished.

"Wha-? HOW?!" Jay exclaimed.

"Inventing is actually about overcoming obstacles and constantly improving your work. You should always strive to better your inventions, am I right or am I right?" Ganku answered.

"Well, I guess, but aren't we kinda both right?" Jay wondered.

"Mneh, fine, if that'll make you feel better." Ganku apathetically responded.

Everyone else just looked at Ganku with confused and somewhat annoyed faces.

"Well, now let's sit down and talk about what inventions we're making for the Engineering Fair." Ganku instructed.

* * *

The next hour of the meeting consisted of Ganku talking one-on-one with each member about what invention they were making for the Engineering Fair. Larson, Bree, Wyatt, and Jay were talking about their inventions while Ganku was talking to Megan.

"Really Larson?! You're making a toaster for the Engineering Fair?!" Bree chuckled.

"Hey, it's a solar-powered toaster! I'm trying to be eco-friendly!" Larson answered while laughing.

"B-b-but, L-larson, why would someone's toaster be exposed to sunlight?" Wyatt hesitatingly asked.

"Wait, you're...right! Ohhh man I'm gonna have to come up with a different idea!" Larson facepalmed while laughing at his own error.

Jay wasn't fully listening to the others, he was nervously contemplating what Ganku would think of his invention idea.

"What about you, Jay? What are you gonna build?" Bree asked.

"Oh! Well, I'm actually thinking about just using what I'm making for my Engineering project for the fair." Jay responded.

"Ooh, what is it?!" Wyatt inquired.

"It's kinda confidential guys, I don't want ya stealing my invention ideas! Heh heh!" Jay sarcastically stated.

"Aww c'mon Jay, you can tell us!" Larson conviced him.

"Okay, well, I'm building a-"

"Okay Jay! It's your turn." Ganku interrupted. "Everyone else," he turned to Wyatt, Larson, and Bree. "Could you leave us so we can talk in private?"

Bree, Larson, and Wyatt reluctantly got out of their seats and went over to the table where Megan was sitting.

"So Jay, what are you thinking about building for the fair?"

"Well, I was thinking about using my Engineering 101 project for the fair, y'know, the remote-controlled cart?" Jay responded.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Jay, you can't use the same thing you're building for your Engineering 101 project!" Ganku stated.

"But, why not?" Jay asked.

"Because, you need to be more versatile, that's part of being an inventor, you can make two different things for the fair and your project, right? Or is this too overwhelming for you? Do you not have what it takes to be a true inventor?" Ganku explained.

"Pfft. What? I totally have what it takes to be a true inventor! I can handle working on two different things at once! Trust me Ganku, you're gonna be impressed with what I build for the fair!" Jay reassured.

"I hope so." Ganku said plainly before walking off.

"Okay everyone, that concludes today's meeting, I'll see you all next week! Or in class, y'know what I mean!" Ganku exclaimed with a nasally laugh.

Megan walked over to Jay.

"Jay, I just wanted to tell that your answer today was totally right, and it was awesome. Don't listen to Ganku." Megan explained.

"Oh, thanks Megan!" Jay exclaimed, encouraged but also somewhat surprised by her remark.

Though Megan's kind words gave him some encouragement, in reality he was extremely worried that he now had to work on two different inventions at the same time, and he hadn't the foggiest idea of what he was going to make for the Engineering Fair yet.


	12. Chapter XI

Once Jay was back at home after the meeting, he went straight to his room in the trailer. Searching for inspiration, he frantically ruffled through his various inventions and sketches, trying to come up with an idea for something he could build for the fair.

"Fidget cube?! No, that's not impressive! Refurbished controller?! Super awesome, but it won't win the fair." He thought aloud.

His eyes then fell upon a piece of paper with a sketch on it. He picked it up and analyzed it.

"Ooh, the hinges for Mom's glasses! Heheh, that was quite a project!" He chuckled.

A few months ago, his mom got new glasses from the eye doctor. However, the Walkers could not afford the premium variety, so they had to settle for the inferior-quality pair. The hinges on the glasses were very poor though, and they snapped after only a few days of use. Fortunately, Jay came up with the idea to make new hinges using some pieces of scrap metal that he found in one of the junkyard's many junk piles, and they worked perfectly!

"A noble endeavor, heheh!" Jay remarked to himself, reflecting on the process of making the hinges. "Maybe I should look through some of the junk piles, I mean, we've got a surplus of 'em. That should get the brain gears turning!"

Jay shuffled out of the trailer and scanned the junkyard to find a suitable pile to start searching through. He decided to start with one of the smaller, human-sized piles rather than the gigantic mountains of scrap on the other side of the junkyard.

"Let's see, what do we have here?" He wondered as he stuck his hand in the pile, moving it around to feel its contents.

Suddenly, his hand rubbed across a sharp, serrated surface. "Ow!" He yelped in pain. "Note to self: don't recklessly stick your hand in piles." He remarked to himself as he walked over to one of his dad's toolboxes to fetch some gloves.

He then moved to a pile that was about as tall as himself. It was full of flat pieces of scrap metal. Jay grabbed a piece and examined it thoroughly.

"Ah, flat, smooth scrap metal. Much easier to touch, but terrible for inspiration." He remarked as he tossed it back into the pile.

Jay then made his way over to a pile that was twice as tall as the previous one, and it would take some climbing to reach the top.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ed and Edna were inside the trailer. Edna was looking through the refrigerator while Ed was sitting at the table.

Ed's check-up with Dr. Burton was yesterday, but he could still feel some slight residual pain in his arm from the blood pressure screening.

"I'm tellin' ya Honey, these gosh darn blood pressure squeezings are gettin' on my last nerve!" He stated while feeling his arm.

"Well, on the bright side, Dr. Burton said your blood pressure's almost at the normal level." Edna replied. "And there's barely anything in the fridge. I'm gonna have to go shopping, is there anything specific that you wanted for dinner?"

"Somethin' with actual flavor." Ed muttered under his breath.

"What was that Ed?"

"Oh nothin' Honey! I'll ask Jay what he wants for dinner!" Ed quickly replied and went outside to find Jay, slightly caught off guard that his wife had heard what he had said.

* * *

"JAY, WHERE ARE YA?!" Ed yelled while walking around various piles.

"I'M UP HERE DAD!" Ed heard a yell, but couldn't quite pinpoint where it came from.

He then spotted a pair of legs flailing upright at the top of one of the piles. This one was about 25 feet tall, and it was full of various car parts.

"SON!" Ed exclaimed while rushing up the pile, running as fast as he could, which, frankly, wasn't that fast due to his age. Once he reached the top, he saw that Jay had already pulled himself out of the pile.

"Are ya okay Son?!" Ed asked while grabbing Jay's face and inspecting it.

"I'm fine dad." Jay claimed while rolling his eyes.

"What are ya doin' way up here?!" Ed asked.

"I was just looking for some inspiration for inventing something." Jay explained.

"Oh, well, is there anything specific that ya wanted for dinner?"

"Ooh, can we get steak?!" Jay beamed.

"Son, ya know that's not in our budget." Ed empathically replied.

"Oh, well, no, there wasn't any specific thing that I wanted." Jay retracted, looking down with a glum look on his face.

"Well, what are ya tryin' to invent?" Ed inquired.

"I don't know yet, but I have to invent something new for the Engineering Fair."

"Ya can't just use the project you're making for your class?" Ed responded.

"No, because Ganku says that's against the rules." Jay explained. "And I have no idea what to build." He lamented while putting his hand on his cheek. "It's like I have...what do they call it? Writer's block? Well, I guess it's inventor's block! Heheh! But yeah, I can't come up with anything."

"Well Son, ya know what I do when I want to invent somethin'?"

"What?"

"I try to think about a problem that I face, then I think about what I can build to solve that problem, and then I build it!" Ed revealed.

"Wow, I never really thought about it like that, is it really that simple?" Jay asked, impressed by his father's words.

"Well, when a task is too complex, ya gotta simplify it Son." Ed responded.

"Hmph, very true, thanks Dad!"

"Of course Son, you'll figure it out, you're a great inventor, almost as great as your old man, but not quite as great." Ed facetiously smirked while putting his hand on his chin.

"Ok Dad." Jay rolled his eyes while softly chuckling.

"Tell ya what, spend some more time lookin' for ideas, and tomorrow we'll get some parts together and start buildin'!" Ed suggested.

"Yeah! That sounds great!" Jay beamed.

"Just be careful while lookin' through the 30 foot-tall piles, heheh." Ed instructed.

"Heheh, sure thing dad!" Jay confirmed.

Ed made his way back to the ground and inside the trailer. Jay couldn't help but have a smile on his face due to his newfound motivation.


End file.
